ozarque's Journal

Politics; advice across the Generation Gap, elders to youngers...
I had a follow-up comment from

1950democrat, saying:
"I apologize for being so unclear in my question. I'm not talking about actually 'giving advice' in person. My question was about discussion in political forums where I do think it's relevant to (for example) inform people just what McGovern did in 1972 that resulted in damage to him and to the Dems -- which Obama seems in danger of doing now." And

1950democrat adds that "it can be very difficult keeping up with long disorderly threads."

This does change things. Presumably a sizable number of the people who are participating in discussions in political forums are there because they're genuinely interested in reading information about the subject being discussed and are willing to explore that information and -- if it turns out to be worthwhile -- are willing to learn from it. In that context, and taking it as a given that you're someone who has valuable information to contribute, perhaps because you've seen a mess like this before, maybe I can say a thing or two about giving advice across the Generation Gap.

1. Obviously, it helps to be someone who already has a status that evokes respect and interest. If you have that advantage, you're way ahead.

2. The Generation Gap [GG] is wider now than it used to be. Seriously. My perception is that the last time there was a gap this wide was when the first generation emerged in which most people were literate -- and their parents and grandparents not only weren't literate but had never lived in a world where being literate was something anybody concerned themselves about. The width of the GG means that it's very difficult for elders to get and keep the attention of those who are younger; the elders have to badly want to do that and be willing to work at it, and they have to be willing to keep trying even if they get dissed.

3. Unless #1 above applies to you, you can only get and keep the attention of the younger generations if what you post is vividly and immediately interesting. You're going to claim that the current mess is comparable to an earlier mess you remember well, and that that experience qualifies you to say some things that might help with the current mess. If your first sentence doesn't grip the attention of the younger readers, the way a "narrative hook" would grip their attention if you were writing fiction, you've lost them. They probably won't go on to the second sentence; they for sure won't go on to the third.

4. The two skills of bouilloncubing -- condensing information to its most interesting core -- and of providing organization that makes what you write easy to navigate, are critical to achieving your goal. You won't be able to get away with going on and on and on; you won't be able to get away with fading in and out. You need to be able to say "This mess is like the earlier mess for three reasons: first, [vividly interesting brief item]; second, [vividly interesting brief item]; third, [vividly interesting brief item]." You need to be able to say "Last time this happened, we tried three things; we tried [X], and that didn't work; we tried [Y], and that didn't work." Plus "And then we tried [Z], and it made things better" or "And then we tried [Z] and that didn't work either, and we'd like to see you not waste your time trying X or Y or Z." Whichever applies.

5. Unless you are a spellbinding preacher [and if you are, you'll know that, because everywhere you go people will hang on your every word], don't preach.

6. Be prepared to discover that the youngers have only skimmed what you wrote, instead of reading it carefully from beginning to end, and to get responses that make that painfully clear. If that discourages you, you're going to be discouraged. And the remedy for it is most emphatically not a response that starts like this: "If you had bothered to read all of what I wrote instead of just skimming it..."

7. Say what you have to say, and then stop. If the youngers have found what you wrote interesting and useful -- but they don't feel that they know everything they need to know -- they'll ask you questions, which you can then try to answer. Otherwise, let it go. Either they didn't find it interesting and/or useful, or they've already extracted all the information they need and have no questions. They won't ask you questions just to be polite.